In a conventional driveline of e.g. a four-wheel driven motor vehicle such as a mining vehicle, the cardan shaft is arranged to transmit the power to the drive shafts. In order to improve accessibility of the vehicle one of the drive shafts is pendulum suspended while the other is rigidly fixed to the frame. The pendulum suspension allows for the drive shaft to be turned about an axle perpendicular to the same, e.g. +/−10 degrees from its ground position. The motor vehicle may be articulated or controlled in a conventional way.
A pendulum suspended drive shaft is normally journalled in slide bearings, wherein wear occurs during pendulum. The wear results in the shaft moving over time such that the belly clearance of the vehicle becomes lower. In order to compensate for this, today a clutch between drive shaft and a fixed point on the cardan shaft is provided, usually where the transmission connects, compensating said movement. Such a coupling results in a complicated construction and occupies space.